Kenneth Branagh - IMDb IMDb Actor | Producer | Director Kenneth Charles Branagh was born on December 10, 1960, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK, to parents William Branagh, a plumber and carpenter born in 1930, and Frances (Harper) Branagh, also born in 1930. His brother, William Branagh Jr., was born in 1955 and sister, Joyce Branagh , was born in 1970. At 23, Branagh joined the Royal Shakespeare ... See full bio » Born: Share this page: Related News a list of 24 people created 18 Feb 2011 a list of 22 people created 13 Mar 2011 a list of 26 people created 27 Aug 2011 a list of 21 people created 27 Aug 2012 a list of 49 people created 13 Dec 2014 Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Kenneth Branagh's work have you seen? User Polls Nominated for 5 Oscars.

Another 29 wins & 56 nominations. See more awards » Known For Valkyrie Major-General Henning von Tresckow (2008) Henry V King Henry V (1989) | Edit Filmography 2007 The Bible Revolution (TV Movie documentary) Bible Reader (voice) 2006 American Experience (TV Series documentary) Narrator Periwig-maker (segment "The Periwig-Maker") (voice) 2001 Conspiracy (TV Movie) 1994 Omnibus (TV Series documentary) Narrator 1983 To the Lighthouse (TV Movie) Charles Tansley 1982 Play for Tomorrow (TV Series) Student Cambridge Student - Society Day crowd (uncredited) Hide 1993 Much Ado About Nothing (adaptation for the screen) 1989 Henry V (adapted for the screen by) Hide 2015 TFI Friday (TV Series) (1 episode) - 19th Anniversary Special (2015) ...

("Take a Chance on Me", uncredited) 2015/I Cinderella (writer: "Strong") 2000 The Road to El Dorado (performer: "It's Tough to Be a God") 2000 Love's Labour's Lost (performer: "I'd Rather Charleston", "I Won't Dance", "Cheek To Cheek", "Let's Face The Music And Dance", "They Can't Take That Away From Me") 1992 Peter's Friends (performer: "The Way You Look Tonight", "Orpheus In the Underworld") 1988 Thompson (TV Series) (performer - 1 episode) - Episode #1.1 (1988) ...

(performer: "Have a Little Faith in Me" - uncredited) Hide 2000 The Periwig-Maker (Short) (supporter) 1997 Great Composers (TV Series documentary) (narrated by - 1 episode) 1988 Twelfth Night, or What You Will (TV Movie) (director of stage production) 1988 Forty Minutes (TV Series documentary) (narrator - 1 episode) 2010 Iron Man 2 (director: post-credits scene - uncredited) Hide 2000 Spinning Candyfloss (special thanks) Hide 2015 TFI Friday (TV Series) Himself - Guest 1990-2015 Cinema 3 (TV Series) Himself 1996-2015 Días de cine (TV Series) Himself 2011-2015 Janela Indiscreta (TV Series) Himself 2011-2015 Made in Hollywood (TV Series) Himself 2007-2015 Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) Himself / Himself - Director, Cinderella 2

015 The Talk (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2015 The View (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2014 Marvel Studios: Assembling a Universe (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2014 Rencontres de cinéma (TV Series) Himself 2011-2014 Tavis Smiley (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2008-2014 Jimmy Kimmel Live!

(TV Series) Himself - Guest 2013 Richard Briers: A Tribute (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2012 SAG Foundation Conversations (TV Series) Himself 2012 Talking to Billy (TV Movie documentary) Himself - 'Billy' 2012 ES.TV HD (TV Series) Himself - Guest 1993-2011 Charlie Rose (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2011 Chelsea Lately (TV Series) Himself - Guest 2011 Thor: Creating Laufey (Video short) Himself 2011 Thor: From Asgard to Earth (Video documentary short) Himself 2011 Thor: Hammer Time (Video short) Himself 2011 A Poem Is... (TV Series) Narrator 2011 The Big Picture (TV Series) Himself - Episode #45.16 (2011) ...

Himself - Director 2011 Daybreak (TV Series) 2009 1939: Hollywood's Greatest Year (TV Movie documentary) Narrator (voice) 2009 The Journey to 'Valkyrie' (Video documentary short) Himself 2009 Cinetipp (TV Series documentary) Himself 2008 Who Is Kurt Wallander? (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2007 Stephen Fry: 50 Not Out (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2007 Eigo de shabera-night (TV Series) Himself 2007 Secrets of the Dead (TV Series documentary) Himself - Bible Readings - Battle for the Bible (2007) ... Himself - Bible Readings (voice) 2007 Continuarà... (TV Series) 2005 Walking with Monsters (TV Series documentary) Himself- Narrator 2004 A Tribute to Joe Mantegna (TV Short documentary) Himself 2004 Cecil B.

DeMille: American Epic (TV Movie documentary) Narrator (voice) 2003 World War 1 in Colour (TV Mini-Series documentary) Narrator 2003 Interviews with Professors & More (Video documentary short) Himself 2002 Following the Rabbit-Proof Fence (TV Movie documentary) Himself / Narrator 1996-2002 HBO First Look (TV Series documentary) Himself 2002 Omnibus (TV Series documentary) Himself 2002 Judi Dench: A BAFTA Tribute (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2001 Walking with Prehistoric Beasts (TV Mini-Series documentary) Narrator 2001 The Beasts Within (TV Movie documentary) Narrator (UK version) (voice) 2001 Triumph of the Beasts (TV Movie documentary) Narrator (UK version) (voice) 2000 Big Al Uncovered (TV Short documentary) Narrator (UK version) 2000 The Ballad of Big Al (TV Short documentary) Narrator (UK version) (voice) 2000 Lon Chaney: A Thousand Faces (TV Movie documentary) Himself / Narr

ator (voice) 2000 Funny Turns (TV Series documentary) Himself 1999 Walking with Dinosaurs (TV Series documentary) Narrator 1998 Universal Horror (TV Movie documentary) Narrator (voice) 1998 Cold War (TV Mini-Series documentary) Narrator - Star Wars (1998) ...

Narrator (voice) - Sputnik (1998) ... Narrator (voice) 1997 Electric Circus (TV Series) Himself 1997 Great Composers (TV Series documentary) Narrated by / Narrator - Richard Wagner 1813 - 1883 (1997) ... Narrated by (voice) - Tchaikovsky (1997) ... Narrated by (voice) - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1791 (1997) ... Narrated by (voice) - Mahler (1997) ...

Narrated by (voice) 1996 Making 'Hamlet' (Video documentary) Himself 1996 Very Important Pennis (TV Series) Himself 1996 Film 2016 (TV Series) Himself 1996 100 Years of Horror (TV Series documentary) Himself 1995 Cinema Europe: The Other Hollywood (TV Mini-Series documentary) Narrator 1988 Caught in the Act (TV Movie documentary) Himself 2016 Arena (TV Series documentary) Himself 2013 Imagine (TV Series documentary) Colonel Tim Collins 2012 The Wright Stuff (TV Series) Himself - Actor Radio Play - Title role in Cyrano de Bergerac on BBC Radio 3. See more » Publicity Listings: 9 Interviews | 12 Articles | 2 Pictorials | 9 Magazine Cover Photos | See more » Alternate Names: Ken Branagh | Sir Kenneth Branagh Height: Did You Know? Personal Quote: [on A Midwinter's Tale (1995)] I wanted to do something very small after Frankenstein, which was very big, and it felt good to work on a completely different scale.

I didn't have to explain anything to anyone. I didn't have to talk about casting, didn't have to send rushes to America, didn't have to preview the movie. We made it, finished it and then we sold it. I like In the Bleak Midwinter as a... See more » Trivia: He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1983 (1982 season) for Most Promising Newcomer for his performance in "Another Country". See more » Trademark: Happy Birthday Kenneth Branagh | City Connect Happy Birthday Kenneth Branagh By City Connect Cambridge | December 10, 2012 - 6:00 am | Featured Today, City Connect celebrates the birthday of Kenneth Branagh who was born on 10 December 1960. Kenneth Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare’s plays. Kenneth Branagh has also starred in numerous other films and television series including Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Wallander.

He directed such notable films as Swan Song (Academy Award nominated for Best Live Action Short Film), Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (also starring) and the 2011 blockbuster action film Thor. Branagh at the 2011 press conference for Thor Biography Kenneth Branagh was born and brought up in Belfast, Northern Ireland. At the age of nine, he relocated with his family to Reading, Berkshire to escape the Troubles. At school, he acquired an English accent to avoid bullying. On his identity today he has said, “I feel Irish. I don’t think you can take Belfast out of the boy,” and he attributes his “love of words” to his Irish heritage. Kenneth Branagh is known for his film adaptations of William Shakespeare, beginning with Henry V (1989) for which was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Director, followed by Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Hamlet (1996) for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Love’s Labour’s Lost (2000) and As You Like It (2006).

As You Like It premiered in theatres in Europe, but was sent directly to television in the U.S., where it aired on HBO in August 2007. Branagh was also in Oliver Parker’s Othello playing Iago. Notable non-Shakespeare films in which Branagh has appeared include Dead Again (1991) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), both of which he also directed, Wild Wild West (1999), Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) and Valkyrie (2008). He starred as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). He also played the Minister, Dormandy, (a parody of PMG Tony Benn) in the film The Boat That Rocked (2009). From 1989 to 1996 Branagh mostly directed his own films, but the commercial and critical failure of Love’s Labour’s Lost ended his directorial career for a time. In 2006, the same year that Branagh’s film version of As You Like It was released, he also directed a film version of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute.

Branagh has also directed the thriller Sleuth (2007), a remake of the 1972 film. At a film promotion for Valkyrie in 2008, Branagh confirmed that he would be directing Thor, a film based on the Marvel superhero. Thor, Branagh’s return to big-budget directing, was released on 6 May 2011 and stars Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins. Branagh is the star of the Wallander television series, adaptations of Henning Mankell’s best-selling Wallander crime novels. Branagh plays the eponymous Inspector Kurt Wallander and also serves as the executive producer of the series. The first three episodes were broadcast on BBC One in November and December 2008. Branagh won the award for best actor at the 35th Broadcasting Press Guild Television and Radio Awards (2009). It was his first major television award win in the UK. He received his first BAFTA TV on 26 April 2009 for the British Academy Television Award for Best Drama Series.

For his performance in the episode One Step Behind, he was nominated in the Outstanding Actor, Miniseries or Movie category of the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards. The role also gained him a nomination for Best Actor at the 2009 Crime Thriller Awards. The second season of three episodes were filmed in 2009 and aired in January 2010 on the BBC and October/November 2010 on PBS in the US. Plans have been announced for a third season of six episodes—the last three Mankell novels, as well as three original Wallander stories. Branagh was married to actress Emma Thompson from 20 August 1989 until 1995. After their divorce, he was in a well-publicised relationship for several years with actress Helena Bonham Carter, whom he directed and starred with in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. In 2003, he married film art director Lindsay Brunnock, to whom he was introduced by Bonham Carter in 1997. He speaks Italian and is a lifelong supporter of Belfast football team Linfield, as well as Tottenham Hotspur.

Branagh was the youngest actor to receive the Golden Quill (also known as the Gielgud Award) in 2000. Alongside Roberto Benigni, he is one of only two non-American actors to be nominated for Oscars for acting, writing, and directing, and one of nine actors to have achieved this honour. The other seven are Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood, George Clooney, John Huston and John Cassavetes. Image reproduced from Wikipedia Commons Sir Kenneth Branagh | British actor, director, and writer | Britannica.com Sir Kenneth Branagh British actor, director, and writer Written By: Alternative Title: Kenneth Charles Branagh Sir Kenneth Branagh British actor, director, and writer Also known as Sir Kenneth Branagh, in full Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (born December 10, 1960, Belfast , Northern Ireland), Irish-born English stage and motion-picture actor, director, and writer who is best known for his film adaptations of Shakespearean plays. Kenneth Branagh, 2002. John Li/Getty Images At age nine Branagh moved with his family from Northern Ireland to London .

He began acting in school plays and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1981. Six weeks later he made his professional stage debut. In 1984 he joined the prestigious Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), where he received acclaim for his performances in Hamlet and Henry V . Often compared to Laurence Olivier (whom he would later portray), Branagh was noted for his magnetic and often whimsical performances. In 1987 he left the RSC to cofound the Renaissance Theatre Company, for which he served as actor, writer, and director. In 1989 Branagh brought Henry V to the screen. The movie received critical acclaim, and Branagh was nominated for Academy Awards as best director and best actor. His costar in the movie, Emma Thompson , was an actress he had met while filming a television series. They were married from 1989 to 1995 and appeared together in many film and stage productions. Kenneth Branagh in the title role of Henry V © Bettman/Corbis Credited with making Shakespeare accessible to the masses, Branagh also acted in and directed In the Bleak Midwinter (1995; U.S.

title A Midwinter’s Tale), about a production of Hamlet staged in a local church, as well as film versions of Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Hamlet (1996), and Love’s Labour’s Lost (2000). In 1995 he appeared as Iago in the film Othello, and in 2006 he directed the film As You Like It. He also directed and acted in the motion pictures Dead Again (1991) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994). Emma Thompson (left) as Beatrice, with Kenneth Branagh as Benedick, in Branagh’s 1993 film version … Hulton Archive/Getty Images Early in his career Branagh appeared in several television productions, including The Lady’s Not for Burning (1987) and Look Back in Anger (1989), both movies adapted from plays, and the miniseries Fortunes of War (1987), based on novels by Olivia Manning . He subsequently starred as Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton in the miniseries Shackleton (2002) and as Franklin D.

Roosevelt in the miniseries Warm Springs (2005). In the crime series Wallander (2008– ), which adapted the work of novelist Henning Mankell , Branagh played the title role. Britannica Stories Kenneth Branagh Profile @ ClickTheCity Movies [ Freebase ] Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh (born 10 December 1960) is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He has directed or starred in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V (1989) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Awards for Best Actor and Best Director), Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Othello (1995), Hamlet (1996) (for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay), Love's Labour's Lost (2000), and As You Like It (2006).

He has also starred in numerous other films and television series including Fortunes of War (1987), Wild Wild West (1999), The Road to El Dorado (2000), Conspiracy (TV) (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Warm Springs (TV) (2005), Valkyrie (2008), Wallander (TV series) (2008–present), and My Week with Marilyn (2011) as Laurence Olivier (Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor); and directed such notable films as Dead Again (1991) (also starring), Swan Song (1992) (Academy Award nominated for Best Live Action Short Film), Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) (also starring), The Magic Flute (2006), Sleuth (2007), and the blockbuster superhero film Thor (2011). Branagh has been nominated for five Academy Awards, five Golden Globes, and has won an Emmy and three BAFTAs.

He was appointed a knight bachelor in the 2012 Birthday Honours and was knighted on 9 November 2012. --- Branagh, the middle of three children, was born and raised in Belfast, the son of working-class Protestant parents Frances (née Harper) and William Branagh, a plumber and joiner who ran a company that specialised in fitting partitions and suspended ceilings. At the age of nine, he relocated with his family to Reading, Berkshire, to escape the Troubles. He was educated at Grove Primary School, Whiteknights Primary School, then Meadway School, Tilehurst, where he appeared in school productions such as Toad of Toad Hall" and Oh, What a Lovely War!. At school, he acquired an English accent to avoid bullying. On his identity today he has said, "I feel Irish. I don't think you can take Belfast out of the boy," and he attributes his "love of words" to his Irish heritage. He is known to have attended the (Amateur) Reading Cine & Video Society (now called Reading Film & Video Makers) as a member and was a keen member of Progress Theatre for whom he is now the patron.

Branagh went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Branagh achieved some early measure of success in his native Northern Ireland for his role as the title character in the BBC's Play for Today trilogy known as the Billy Plays (1982–84), written by Graham Reid and set in Belfast. He received acclaim in the UK for his stage performances, first winning the 1982 SWET Award for Best Newcomer, for his role as Judd in Julian Mitchell's Another Country, immediately after leaving RADA. Branagh was part of the 'new wave’ of actors to emerge from the Academy. Others included Jonathan Pryce, Juliet Stevenson, Alan Rickman, Anton Lesser, Bruce Payne and Fiona Shaw. In 1984 he appeared in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Henry V, directed by Adrian Noble. The production played to full houses, especially at the Barbican in London. It was this production that he adapted for the film version of the play in 1989.

He and David Parfitt founded the Renaissance Theatre Company in 1987, following success with several productions on the London 'Fringe', including Branagh's full-scale production of Romeo and Juliet at the Lyric Studio, co-starring with Samantha Bond. The first major Renaissance production was Branagh's Christmas 1987 staging of Twelfth Night at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, starring Richard Briers as Malvolio and Frances Barber as Viola, and with an original score by actor, musician and composer Patrick Doyle, who two years later was to compose the music for Branagh's film adaptation of Henry V. This Twelfth Night was later adapted for television. --- Branagh is known for his film adaptations of William Shakespeare, beginning with Henry V (1989), followed by Much Ado About Nothing (1993), Hamlet (1996), Love's Labour's Lost (2000) and As You Like It (2006). As You Like It premiered in theatres in Europe, but was sent directly to television in the U.S., where it aired on HBO in August 2007.

He was rumored to have been under consideration for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequels. Notable non-Shakespeare films in which Branagh has appeared include Dead Again (1991) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), both of which he also directed, Wild Wild West (1999), Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002) and Valkyrie (2008). He starred as Gilderoy Lockhart in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). He also played the Minister, Dormandy, (a parody of PMG Tony Benn) in the film The Boat That Rocked (2009). --- Branagh was married from 20 August 1989 until 1995 to actress Emma Thompson, with whom he starred in Fortunes of War among other projects. After their divorce, he was in a well-publicised relationship for several years with actress Helena Bonham Carter, whom he directed and starred with in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In 2003, he married film art director Lindsay Brunnock, whom he met during the shooting of Shackleton.

Kenneth Branagh, horoscope for birth date 10 December 1960, born in Belfast, with Astrodatabank biography - Astro-Databank photo: Giorgia Meschini at , license cc-by-sa-2.0 Biography British actor and director who is often compared with Orson Welles and Laurence Olivier as a towering talent. The son of a carpenter, Branagh grew up in a large Protestant family in the heart of Belfast, poor and during the time of a troubled Ireland. If there was a shortness of advantages, there was an abundance of love and community spirit. When he was ten, his family moved to London. The boy's brogue was so thick that he had to repeat everything he said at school, slowly, but his drama teacher encouraged him. As a kid he became hooked on films and TV, and entered the royal Academy of Dramatic Art at 18, in spite of the incomprehension of his family. He was completely stage-struck.

Branagh landed his first professional job in Belfast in November 1981 in "Too Late to Talk to Billy." Back among his kin who were eager to see the lad, he found that they had no concept of the life he had chosen and were surprised by his now-British accent. He began to experience the Anglo-Irish sense of "belonging nowhere." After "Billy," Branagh soon began work in another play. On the first day of rehearsals he met his future partner, David Parfitt, and soon they began discussions on the idea of a theater company. Polishing his ability to transform himself into the role he takes, Branagh continued into films and theater. The rave reviews began to roll in, often with amazement at the talent of so youthful a player. In 1989, he married actress Emma Thompson after being a couple for seven years; they have no kids. He wrote his autobiography young, at 28, "Beginnings," an entertaining and readable book. Nonetheless, in 1989, the British press and his fans had a period when they were cool toward him.

Branagh formed his own Renaissance Theatre Company at 26 to produce Shakespeare; he later directed and starred in his own film version of Shakespeare's "Henry V" for which he got an Oscar nomination in 1989. His four-hour "Hamlet" released in 1996, was hailed as the most faithful film adaptation of the Bard ever released. By 1998, he had directed eight films including three adaptations of Shakespeare. Talented, energetic and determined, he is said to stop at nothing to further his ambitions. Branagh and Thompson began moving apart in 1993 and officially announced their separation on 9/30/1995. Helena Bonham Carter became his companion at that time, and his co-star in "The Theory of Flight" in 1998, separating in October 1999. Sometime on the weekend of May 24, 2003, Irish actor Kenneth Branagh so secretly wed Lindsay Brunnock, whom he met two years ago, that he did not reveal the date even after the wedding. This is his second marriage; he was divorced from actress Emma Thompson in 1996.

Kenneth Branagh Net Worth - biography, quotes, wiki, assets, cars, homes and more Kenneth Branagh Net Worth About Quotes Trivia Born on: 10th Dec 60 Born in: United Kingdom Marital status: Married Occupation: Actor, director, producer,screenwriter Born as Sir Kenneth Charles Branagh has an estimated net worth of $55 million. This gentleman is a screenwriter, actor, producer, and also director. He was only 23 years old when he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. Here, he was given starring roles for Romeo and Juliet and also Henry V. Eventually, he left and formed his own, the Renaissance Theatre Company. Prince Charles is among its royal patrons. Branagh starred and also directed the movie Henry V in 1989 when he was just 29 years old. The same film gave him recognitions like giving him Best Director and Best Actor Oscar nominations. It was also in 1993 when he brought Shakespeare to mainstream audiences again along with his hit adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing having A-list Hollywood actors as the cast, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington to name a few.

He got to publish his autobiography at 30 years old and at 34 years old, directed and starred as Victor Frankenstein in the huge-budget adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel titled Frankenstein in 1994. He was with Robert De Niro who played the monsters himself. After two years, he wrote, starred, and even directed the extravagant adaptation of Hamlet. In the years to follow, he was also privileged to star in a number of roles like in Celebrity (1998), Wild Wild West (1999), and also a voice-actor in The Road to El Dorado (2000). "I feel more Irish than English. I feel freer than British, more visceral, with a love of language. Shot through with fire in some way. That's why I resist being appropriated as the current repository of Shakespeare on the planet.

That would mean I'm part of the English cultural elite, and I am utterly ill-fitted to be." "I think the best actors are the most generous, the kindest, the greatest people and at their worst they are vain, greedy and insecure." "I'm just a foul-mouthed Brit." "My definition of success is control." "Friendship is one of the most tangible things in a world which offers fewer and fewer supports." "It's very strange that the people you love are often the people you're most cruel with." "There is some mysterious thing that goes on whereby, in the process of playing Shakespeare continuously, actors are surprised by the way the language actually acts on them." "Variety is very, very good. Going from medium to medium - if you get the chance to do it - from theater to television to film, which are all distinctly different, keeps me sharp. What works in one doesn't work in the other, and you have to be looking for the truth of the performance, whatever way that medium might demand." "[on being told he is to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth II] I was very, very, very surprised and I was very touched.

Michael Caine and Roger Moore, both of whom I've worked with, offered only the insight that it's handy to have the 'kneeling stool with the handle'. Roger Moore, who has a dodgy knee, was terrified on the way to the ceremony that, having knelt down, he wouldn't be kneeling back up again. You don't want to move suddenly while that sword's being wielded, I'm sure. I haven't read of [Her Majesty] having knicked someone on the ear just yet, but perhaps I'll be the first." "People often ask me, "Why do you keep doing Shakespeare?" Well, because it's meaningful to me. That to do it well - or even just to work on it - I find very life-enhancing. I don't have any kind of conventional religious belief and I find Shakespeare's a tremendous source of inspiration, because there's no situation that I've come up against that somehow hasn't been described in those plays. When I do work on it, it's like going back to some great piece of music. It is dramatic poetry, so each time you hear it, it reacts on you in a different, usually a richer, way.

It's like a wonderful dog that gives you much more than you'll ever give it. There's unconditional love in there; he never lets you down and he's never sentimental; he's always bracing because he's so very, very realistic about families and love and all the normal human stuff." "[on Dead Again (1991)] I didn't set out do to something 180 degrees from Henry V (1989). I was trying to get a film of Thomas Hardy's Return of the Native made when the Dead Again script arrived out the blue and I simply couldn't put it down. Simple as that. It reminded me of the first sort of films that really made an impression on me. Immediately I was thinking of Dial M for Murder (1954), all those Hitchcock movies. The Welles stuff. Pictures I grew up watching on television. I've always loved Hitchcock and I re-viewed a lot of Hitchcock stuff in the early stages of preparing for Dead Again: Dial M for Murder, Rebecca (1940), Notorious (1946) and Spellbound (1945).

I wanted to remind myself of just how far he went because with Dead Again you certainly needed a lot of melodramatic Hitchcock approach to carry it off." "[observation, 1989] I don't go around saying, 'Hello. Did you know I'm the new Olivier?'" "[on Frankenstein (1994)] People say to me in a slightly pitying way, "Were you interfered with on that movie?" To which I say, "No, it's my movie." It was bruising. I stopped reading the notices when I realised what was happening. I've had hostile reviews before, but these were very hurtful and personal. In a sense it was impossible for me to remain sane if I was to identify with any of that hostility. You can't do anything about people being irritated by you or what you are. But some people didn't like the movie and that's fair enough. I don't know what lesson one learns. De Niro gave a brave performance. I made the film I wanted to make and I'm very proud of it. In the end, all I do is make films and sometimes people don't like them.

You can't worry about it or else you wouldn't get up in the morning. Our film was necessarily different from the traditional versions, and maybe people think there was a hubris in going up against the classics. We were trying to do Mary Shelley's book, which is different - Frankenstein has a more unfathomable motivation and the monster is more sweet-natured - and not necessarily better than the camp black-and-white movies that James Whale made with all that neck-bolted iconography." Originally cast as the lead in Amadeus (1984) before the production company decided on casting American actors in the leading roles. Educated at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), London Grew up in poverty in the shadow of a tobacco factory in Belfast. Co-founded the Renaissance Theatre Company with David Parfitt, with Prince Charles as a royal patron. Youngest actor to receive the Golden Quill (Gielgud Award), 2000. He allegedly declined the C.B.E. (Commander of the order of the British Empire) in 1994.

He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1983 (1982 season) for Most Promising Newcomer for his performance in "Another Country". Was one of the directors considered for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004). He had appeared in the previous film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002). He was nominated for a 2004 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actor of 2003 for his performance in "Edmond" at the Royal National Theatre: Olivier Stage. Family & relationships Branagh waxes Lyrical in his native Belfast - BBC News BBC News Branagh waxes Lyrical in his native Belfast 21 January 2011 Close share panel Image caption Kenneth Branagh will perform in the Lyric's production of The Painkiller Belfast-born actor and director Kenneth Branagh is to help mark the re-launch of one of his favourites theatres with a return to his native city. Branagh and Welsh comedian Rob Brydon will appear together in The Painkiller when it is staged at the rebuilt riverside theatre in September.

The new Lyric at Ridgeway Street on the banks of the Lagan officially opens on 1 May, and will consist of a 394-seat main auditorium, a 150-seat studio theatre, a rehearsal room, extensive riverfront foyers and bar, backstage facilities and office accommodation. Fund-raising for the rebuilding of the theatre was championed by several local actors who have become household names. Liam Neeson was among those who pledged their support. Other famous supporters included Ciaran Hinds, Brian Kennedy, Dan Gordon, James Nesbitt, Seamus Heaney and Brian Friel. Kenneth Branagh said he was delighted to be returning to Belfast to support the Lyric. "The Painkiller is a remarkable play," he said. "Sean Foley, the director, is a fantastic talent, familiar to Belfast audiences. "When he showed me his modern adaptation of Francis Veber's farce, I knew I wanted to be involved. "It's also a particular thrill to partner on stage the brilliant Rob Brydon." Gavin and Stacey star Brydon announced his involvement on his Twitter page and said it would be his first stage play.

Brydon called Branagh "brilliant" and added: "I really couldn't be more excited about it." For Branagh the Lyric has a special significance. "I was lucky enough to begin my career with Graham Reid's 'Billy' in my home town of Belfast, exactly 30 years ago. I feel equally lucky to be back, and at the Lyric," he said. With the re-build almost complete, tickets for the first play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, go on sale on Monday. I feel equally lucky to be back, and at the Lyric Kenneth Branagh, Actor One of the highlights of the theatre's first season will be the European premiere of Brendan at the Chelsea, a bio-drama of Brendan Behan. The play was written by Behan's niece Janet and brought to the stage by Adrian Dunbar, who will direct and lead the cast as Behan. Other performances include Martin Lynch's Dockers and family musicals The Jungle Book and The Little Prince.

Lyric chairman Mark Carruthers said: "When we took the first steps on the journey to rebuild our home almost a decade ago, we could only imagine the day we would unveil our new programme, but that time has come at last. "This project has never been about just bricks and mortar. "We were always focussed on a bigger vision - a new landmark building which would be both functional and handsome, certainly - but more than that, we wanted to build a real home for everyone with an interest in theatre, and one that will play a central role in the cultural and economic development of Northern Ireland."

Question: In which city was Kenneth Branagh born?
Answer: BELFAST